


Nota

by Alondres26



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: 5 Years Later, F/M, I tried to make this educational, Romance, VILE and ACME are still after Carmen, We going to Mexico and let's see where else, i don't know what else to tag but thank you for reading this, maybe some spicy romance later on, red crackle, single dad Gray
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 18:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17606201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alondres26/pseuds/Alondres26
Summary: It's five years later after the events of season 1 and Carmen finds herself in the sunny tourist beach of Santa Monica scouting the area for her mission later that night. What she didn't plan on was coming across a lost five year old girl who bears a striking resemblance to someone she use to know, Gray. Without much of an option, Carmen finds herself reuniting Grace with her father, getting them caught up in one big adventure. She did not plan this at all nor did she plan having to fight her heart in fear of getting too close with Gray who still doesn't remember their past.Okay, I tried but summaries aren't my thing, but I'll edit the summary if I think of something better.





	Nota

**Author's Note:**

> OOf big thanks to my Red Crackle discord family for motivating me to write this. Like I said my summary was shit and it might change depending on the direction everything goes and thank you for giving this fic a chance.

They were in Santa Monica to retrieve a stolen artifact that rightfully belonged to the UNESCO site of Teotihuacan’s moon pyramid that was currently under the grimy hands of an associate from VILE. Of course Carmen and her gang of “thieves” wasted no time to fly over to Santa Monica in California to rightful steal back that artifact. They had heard from Shadowsan that the VILE associate was currently staying at Hotel Casa del Mar while awaiting directions from VILE on where to direct the artifact to. However, the action won’t come until much later. Player had school to attend, therefore was offline, but that was alright with Carmen as she would just be scouting the area to plan out her route for the mission later that night. Or so that was her plan. 

As of now, Carmen was currently in line for some ice cream on the famous Santa Monica boardwalk while holding the hand of a five year old girl who was clearly upset. But who would blame a child for crying for losing their parents. Carmen was walking idly around the boardwalk when something had tackled her from behind. For a moment she got ready to either attack back or outrun whoever her attacker was, but that guard when down when she say the crying child before her. She appeared to be five, with uneven hazelnut pigtails. Carmen had tried to talk to the young child, but it was an attempt that proved weak compared to the endless tears from the child. However, once Carmen mention getting some ice cream with in mind to help the young girl calm down, the sobs turn to a small whimper. Poor kid was still trying to keep her composure.

The had finally reached the cash register and Carmen looked at the young girl , “what flavor would you like?”

“Birthday cake,” she softly responded and Carmen went ahead to complete the exchange. Though, the young girl’s Australian accent didn’t go unnoticed by Carmen.

“Could I have one birthday cake on a waffle cone and cookie dough on a waffle cone?” she told the ice cream worker who quickly went ahead to prepare the ice cream cones. Carmen softly asked the young girl if she could let go off her right hand, so that she could take out her wallet. The young girl did as told and instead latched her hand onto Carmen’s skirt.  

“Thank you, her is your daughter’s ice cream and yours,” Carmen was about to correct the teen working the ice cream stand, but opted to not and just move the girl to a calmer setting. Carmen and the young girl finally made their way to a bench down the sandy beach where she handed the birthday cake ice cream to the young girl. Oddly enough, the young girl she found sobbing earlier was smiling from ear to ear as she anxiously grabbed her ice cream cone. Carmen let out a light laugh seeing this. They both quietly sat eating their ice cream, until Carmen thought the girl was calm enough for her to ask her questions that might help Carmen puzzle together where the young girl’s parents would be at. 

“What’s your name?” yes an easy question was the best way to smooth things over.

“Mm, it’s Grayce. With a “y” in between the ‘a’ and the ‘c’. Just kidding, it’s just Grace.” she giggled.

“That’s a pretty and interesting name choice. Mine is Carmen,” she softly smiled at Grace. Suddenly Carmen noticed the young girl eyes began to glow and a smile spread. She had dimples. Soon enough, Carmen found herself realizing that the young child also had  _ his _ ocean eyes. 

“Graham?” Carmen muttered without thinking. 

“Hey, you do know my dad! Ya know he has talked to me about you before!” excitedly the girl exclaimed to Carmen who rushed to catch the ice cream cone that slipped from the young girl’s hands. Carmen looked back at the girl that was now standing on the bench staring at Carmen with much excitement, the lady she has heard her dad tell her about was in fact real. Oppose to the excitement emitting from Grace, Carmen felt shock at the information. Hearing about him again made her chest swell and want to find him, but at the same time her chest felt in pain because she had promised herself to stay away from him. Either way, he doesn’t remember their times together during VILE. He had an adorable daughter, he had a peaceful life that one could only dream of, she wasn’t going to ruin that. 

“I guess you could say that I did meet him once back when I tried to sneak backstage,” Carmen broke into a nostalgic smile as she fondly remembered that confusing moment she had with Gray. Thinking he was out to get her, when he didn’t know who she was. VILE was truly cruel to the core.

“He said you were wearing a red trench coat. He didn’t know if you were an actor or a in bad halloween costume,” remarked Grace who was near done with her ice cream. Carmen found herself fighting an urge to smirk.

“I guess your dad has a poor fashion sense. Anyway Grace, why don’t we start looking for him? I bet he is really worried,” Carmen herself was worried, she was afraid of meeting him again. Would he be angry for standing him up that night or could he possibly have some of his memories back. It didn't matter, her mission at the moment was to leave Grace safely with her father and run back to her own hotel to get ready for tonight. She really wish Ivy or Zack could do this for her, but she did allow them to have a carefree day today. She was sure they wouldn’t mind, but still. Grace nodded her head and began to careful get off the wooden bench they sat on. Carmen threw away their trash away and grabbed ahold of Grace hand to ensure she didn’t lose sight of her.

“Alright, Grace. Where was the last spot you saw your father at?” they carefully walked up the worn out wooden stair with chipping white paint toward the sidewalk,away from the sandy beach.

“All I remember was that we were walking  around stores that my dad would call “posh” before I lost him.” the girl got a bit quiet before she continued, “it’s my fault I got lost, I let go of dad’s hand because I was mad that we couldn’t go to Disneyland today,” Grace’s face changed into one of remorse as she thought back. Noting her change of mood, Carmen quickly chimed in to improve the mood.

“Hey, we will find him for sure! I can’t use my super, secret powers if your sad,” 

“Whaa! You have superpowers” the young girl immediately let go of Carmen’s hand to walk in front of Carmen while pointing at her. The girl’s quick outburst immediately got heads turning from the walking bystander to which Carmen just gave an embarrassed smile waving that all was normal. The young women carefully fixed her long skirt and she bent down to be face to face with Grace.

“Shh, we can’t let people know about my super powers or else it’s no longer a secret,” she winked at the young girl who winked right back.

“You got it! Your super power secret's safe with me!” she responded in a much quieter tone than her previous one that had heads turning. Carmen smiled back at the girl, but through the reflection of a metallic trash can saw something that raised her suspicion. Someone wearing a suit in sunny Santa Monica, didn’t add up and clearly stood out in the crowd like a sore thumb. However, maybe she could evade them discreetly. She quickly turn back her attention to Grace because if she stared to long at the metallic trash can, the suspicious person would surely suspect that she was onto them.

“Here hold my hand, so you don’t get lost and let’s find your dad. Base on what you told me earlier, I have an idea of where he may be at”

Both females continued to walk down the sidewalk toward an intersection to walk into inner Santa Monica. Grace had told Carmen that the place she remembers before she got lost was a location described as “posh”, Santa Monica is generally known to be a wealthy neighborhood in the Los Angeles  with the cost of renting being at $4,799.20 , plus it’s a huge tourist attraction with plenty of shopping outlets making it a   life of luxury. However, the most “posh” location in Santa Monica is considered to be Downtown Santa Monica holding brand stores like Adidas to housing local (expensive) shops on 3rd street Promenade. Films like  _ Forrest Gump _ and  _ Iron Men _ were filmed in this very location as well. She was sure Player would have love to see the city where a Marvel film was set at. Without announcing their destination, Carmen carefully lead Grace into the inner city portion of Santa Monica. They waited within the crowd for the red hand in the intersection to turn to the white walking logo. Carmen carefully held onto Grace’s hand who was aimlessly staring ahead watching the cars go by. 

The person that was following them was short and muscular who didn’t get the memo that on sunny, hot days people don’t wear long sleeves and pants. That figure carefully examined the target, the famous Carmen Sandiego, who was holding a young child’s hand. They didn’t know the connection between Sandiego and the young girl, but they would make sure to report back to HQ once they had obtain the prime target. They approached the crowd of people waiting to cross the street while standing in the back away from Sandiego’s clear view. They could already hear the praise they would get for capturing the women that VILE has wasted 5 years trying to capture. 

However, being stuck in daydream land, even if it’s just a second while on a mission is clearly a big misstep. The auburn hair young women in her mid 20s snickered to herself as she gracefully walked in the crowd along with Grace to blend themselves in while crossing. That poor VILE agent was obviously in “La La Land” that they failed to notice that the walking sign had turned on for people to walk. 

Once reaching the other side, before the crowd could disperse, Carmen went ahead and grabbed a bucket hat from one of the tables located outside the restaurant  and grabbed some some shades from her bag quickly places them on and taking her hair tie off allowing her hair to flow down. She then placed the bucket hat on top of Grace. This would help them a be a bit harder to detect from far away.

“We are borrowing these for a bit,” she smiled as she kept walking briskly alongside Grace who was now skipping alongside Carmen.

“I don’t know Carmen, I didn’t see you ask anyone.”

“I did, you just didn’t see,” she laughed at the child’s blunt remark. They made their way to 2nd street and Carmen could see the street sign for Santa Monica Blvd.They would just need to head east once they reach there and soon she could get Grace reunited with Gray. They kept walking along the sidewalk as Grace would tell Carmen stories about her home back in Sydney. She learned that he never left that city, then again probably cause he was a junior electrician for the Opera House which ensured him a stable job. 

“And then, and then we went to visit a zoo for my birthday. But it was closed for the day!” story after story, Carmen hummed along listening to Grace who shared enthusiastically. Yet, Carmen for once never letting her guard down in case of that agent making a reappearance. She looked at her watch and noticed that Player would be out of school by now; she would need to make a call with him to help her keep herself posted on any indication of VILE. 

She turned on her earpiece and quickly spoke in a hush voice while Grace kept talking loudly about preschool. 

“Player? I need some help. It’s not too urgent, but I’m being tailed by some VILE agent,”

“No worries, Red,” before he could continue a young voice interrupted them both.

“Are those a new type of airpods? Dad, always complains about people wearing them, saying he doesn’t know if they are talking to him or to a wall,”

On the other side of Niagara falls, a teen could be heard laughing hard. As his laugh subsided he soon began to move the mouse around to direct his computer screen to a map of Santa Monica, ready to direct Carmen to any direction in case evil shows its ugly face. However, he soon found himself faltering when he heard her continue to speak to the little girl. 

“Um, Red who is the kid?” Player asked as he began to do his statistics homework.

“My name is Grace!” 

“Ouch, Grace! You are going to make me deaf. You don’t need to yell,” painfully mumbles Carmen from the other side of the mic. Snickering was heard from the Player’s side of the call, making Carmen glare to no one. 

“Anywho, I’m Player who currently should be doing my math homework. I’ll cut off the call, but if I see anything come up. I’ll call you right away, just make sure to have your line open.”

“Thanks Player, and please do check up on Ivy and Zack and remind them to meet me around 7pm at our spot.”

“Right ahead of you and tell Grace I said bye!” the call ended and they were already on the famous 3rd street Promenade announcing that they were clearly already in Downtown.

“Okay, make sure to keep an eye out for your dad. I think he still may be here looking for you”. wasn’t going to be an easy feat with many shoppers around and the grand variety of stores, but she was sure Gray was here, something in her heart was telling her he wouldn’t leave this spot. Grace frantically looked around in hope of catching sight of her dad’s light brown hair. 

A good 15 minutes have gone bye without much luck, Carmen removed her shades while Grace took off the bucket hat that was now bother her do it’s big size. Despite initial disappointment, the famous thief soon heard a distraught voice in the distance alongside  an accent that announced itself. She had a good intuition that it was him and peered down at Grace who had a thoughtful expression as she too was listening closely before she immediately pulled on Carmen’s skirt with her free hand to get her attention.

“It’s him isn’t it.” calmly Carmen asked Grace, the little girl’s eye had began to form tears in hope that it really was him. 

“This is just what I get for wanting to take a vacation, I knew I shouldn’t have listened to Jim!” that roaring voice sure was Gray, Carmen knew how loud his angry voice would get. She only seen him couple of times this upset, so this was really bad. Thankfully she was on her way to deliver Grace.

“Red! You got company at 9 O’clock!” she knew this was too good to be true. She groaned before responding back to Player.

“Thanks, seems like I’m gonna have to speed things up,” sure enough that VILE agent was on their left trying to quickly make his way toward them. On a closer look, Carmen noted that this might be one of the new agents seeing the youthful appearance of the man. 

“Different tactic,I see.” Grace felt Carmen tense beside her as she muttered and looked up to see Carmen scanning around.

“What did Player say?” inquired Grace.

“He just wanted to let me know that we are about to be in a little game of tag,” not wasting any second, Carmen carried Grace and began to break into a run, easily maneuvering herself within the crowd. Grace on the other hand strongly hugged Carmen, not knowing whether to laugh at the thrill of being carried in a rapid speed or to be worried at the man following them with an angry expression. 

“Carmen, lead him to the fountain! I can buy you some time!” Player rapidly typed away on his keyboard to get into Downtown’s water system as Carmen ran with Grace in her arms toward the huge fountain. She ignored the suprise look of bystanders and thanked them for stopping others from also getting inside the empty fountain in curiosity of a women running with a child.The fountain’s water wasn’t on which allowed Carmen to easily walk through the fountain, soon enough the VILE agent attempted to do the same. Unfortunately for him, by the time Carmen got out of the large fountain, with a simple click Player got the fountain back to work. The strength of rapid water pressure was enough to catch the agent by surprise and preoccupied being dizzy from the water. That would put him to sleep some time. Enough for VILE to send Vlad and Boris to pick up a failed agent.

“The water!” remarked Grace in awe as she saw the fountain’s water enclose the man following them. She turn her attention to look forward and notices that Carmen’s skirt had gotten rip, possible when she was racing through the large fountain. 

“I’m sorry Grace.” she heard Carmen say in a quiet voice. Grace was confuse, why was Carmen sorry? She had gotten them away from that scary man in the suit and she was going to reunite her with her father. 

She felt like shit, she didn’t want this to happen. She was just supposed to help her find Gray and leave. She is sure that she had just created a scary experience for the young girl.

“Carmen, I see him!” she was so deep in her thoughts that she almost missed what Grace had said and sure enough the man of the hour was sitting on a bench with his head in his hands, mumbling incoherent words. Carmen slowed down her pace as they got closer and checked back to see if they were being followed, but that agent was sure as gone for now.  
“Thanks Player” she signed in contempt and she quickly heard a “welcome” back making her feel a bit better. Grace who has been clinging to Carmen as a koala looked at that man before her and softly called out to her dad.Carmen walked carefully to to the distressed men on the bench with content child. He slowly lifted his face from his hands. A painful face of swollen teary eyes. 

“Dad?” Grace spoke once more. Graham blinked his eyes that were starting to water once more seeing that his daughter was well alive.

“Gracie?” he quietly spoke. Carmen placed the girl down allowing her to run to her dad. Graham fell to his knees and broke into the sweetest smiles with open arms. Carmen signed in much relief and couldn’t help but smile witnessing a  father and daughter reunite. She almost felt as if she were intruding in an intimate family moment, but she still remained. She found herself looking at Gray, she knew she should disappear right now. Her mind was screaming at her to go, but someone she couldn’t. It’s as if her body was glued to the concrete ground. Her breath became heavier as she nervously looked at Gray who was still embracing his daughter. 

He no longer worn his hair up, instead with bangs down, just like he use to have it. A rush of nostalgia made its way to the auburn hair thief. Graham was crying, yet sporting a joyful smile knowing Grace was back in his arms and safe. She was all that he had, she kept him stabled these past 5 years. For a long time he felt as if he was missing something in his life, but once Grace came into his life, it all changed. Though, there was times where Graham felt that emptiness open up with hazy dreams appearing to him at night. He told his doctor about them, but they were regarding as just dreams. 

Suddenly he looked up to find himself making direct eye talk with  _ her _ . Blue meets gray eyes. Carmen began  to panic, his mouth open in surprise and Carmen stood there like a deer in headlights. This wasn’t part of the plan, she was suppose to be gone by now.

“Crikey, Carmen?” she missed hearing him say her name.

“Yes?” she automatically responded back to him.

“Thank you”, Graham suddenly got up and now being the one to  carry his daughter who was smiling brightly at Carmen. They sure were father and daughter alright with those matching dimples. 

Carmen was scared. Scared of endangering him, it was the exact same reason why she had stood him up that night. She already endangered his daughter. She needed to get out, she began to take a few steps back, but was stopped when she felt a warm hand on her arm. 

“Please, don’t leave me again. Pretty cold move, after all I have to thank you for finding Gracie, here” his voice was so soft and Carmen felt weak to say no. The part of her that wanted to reconnect with Gray overpowered her mind’s command for her to flee.

“I- alright I think it would be fine,” Carmen quickly glanced at her watch to see it was only 4 pm, she had some time to spare and she was rather hungry.

“Don’t think I have forgotten about you standing me up that night. You sure missed some bloody good hamburgers,” he said with a charming smile.

“Oof he remembers that,” Carmen said out loud unintentionally earning a light-hearted laugh from Graham.

“It’s a sort of long story,” she nervously laugh and hoped the subject would change. She was trying her hardest to edge away from anything relating to Gray’s former past. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. Grace just looked at the two adults with confusion, but she was too busy fighting sleep to ask them.

“I guess than we can have some American hamburgers to make up for that time,” countered Carmen to Graham who was now holding a sleeping Grace.

“I’m a step ahead of you,” he winked as he pointed down the street they were which was Arizona Avenue to a restaurant called Burger Lounge. Carmen found herself smiling to herself, it almost felt like old time sake. They would spend so much time together talking about anything and getting into silly banters knowing it wouldn’t go anywhere. But this is Graham, who still doesn’t know about Gray. At times she wished he would remember, but maybe it was for the best for Gray to forget those times. She peered as his profile, handsome as ever she noted. 

“Handsome? Did I really think that just now?” he groaned out loud forgetting Graham could hear her.

“You’re not so bad yourself Carmen,” he teased at the already blushing Carmen Sandiego. She was oddly reunited with Gray and she would ensure to cherish this moment of peace she has with him and Gracie.  She smiled as she peacefully walk alongside Gray and Gracie thinking that she was lucky to have came to Santa Monica. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
